项目介绍

2024年4月29日

We are looking for 4 excellent scientists, including postdocs and PhD candidates, to work on a large Methusalem project entitled “The domain-specific and domain-general cognitive and neural processes underlying human success and failure”. The project is a collaboration between the research teams of Hans Op de Beeck (www.hoplab.be ), Céline Gillebert (www.neuropsychologylab.be ), Bert De Smedt (https://ppw.kuleuven.be/pserg/psergstaff/00040938/ ), and Kobe Desender (www.desenderlab.com ).

Website van de eenheid

Project

In this project we investigate how domain-specific representations in visual and numerical cognition interact with more domain-general processes like metacognition and working memory in healthy individuals (adults & children) as wells as individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders or acquired brain damage. The research involves experimental studies using psychophysics, neuroimaging (fMRI/EEG) and computational modelling, with a particular focus upon multivariate analyses approaches in all these methods.
We specifically search for new team members on the following research lines:

• Position 1: An experienced postdoc to support and carry out the neuroimaging experiments and computationally oriented data analyses in the context of this project. This position will involve providing support and advise to the more junior members of the team for up to 50% of the time. For the other part, the postdoc will be able to lead their own experiments involving multivariate fMRI/EEG.
• Position 2: A PhD position or postdoc in the field of neuropsychology, interested in the impact of brain damage on visual processing and its interaction with other cognitive processes. The research will involve multivariate and multimodal analyses (including fMRI). 
• Position 3: A PhD position or postdoc in the field of educational neuroscience, interested in the development of the neural representations underlying numerical cognition and reading. The position will involve (multivariate) fMRI experiments.
• Position 4: A PhD position or postdoc in the field of computational cognitive neuroscience, interested in the investigation of how the geometry of visual representations underlies complex decision making. The position will involve multivariate fMRI and EEG experiments and computational modelling.

Profiel

We look for highly motivated candidates that have or are about to obtain a master (for PhD positions) or PhD (postdoc positions) in a relevant discipline (e.g., cognitive, computational, or educational neuroscience; experimental psychology; speech & language pathology) and expertise in cognitive/visual neuroscience, neuroimaging, multivariate analyses, or computational methods.  Postdoc candidates should be able to demonstrate their expertise through first-authored peer-reviewed publications. A quantitative background and good programming skills (e.g. R, Python, Matlab) are important. Further assets are a creative mind, excellent problem solving skills, excellent academic English writing and presentation skills, and a collaborative and collegial attitude.

Aanbod

The positions are funded for 4 years (PhD students), up to 3 years (postdocs in lines 2-4), or even 6 years (postdoc in research line 1). We have a good track record of helping postdocs obtain their own personal prestigious fellowships (national and international), allowing them to extend their stay and broaden the range of research questions. The net amount of the salary will be highly competitive internationally and in accordance with the university fellowship scales for PhD and postdoctoral researchers. The postdoc positions are research-only without teaching obligations, but teaching opportunities can be arranged if desired.
The starting date would ideally be around October-December 2024.

Interesse

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Hans Op de Beeck, tel.: +32 16 32 60 39, mail: hans.opdebeeck@kuleuven.be, or one of the other principal investigators.
Applications should include a motivation letter and CV (for the PhD positions including the grades obtained during education, as a whole and for individual courses), mentioning the names and contact information of at least two referents. The motivation letter should mention which of the 4 aforementioned research lines is/are preferred and why.  
Candidates that are shortlisted will be invited for an (online) interview that will happen on June 11th or 12th.You can apply for this job no later than May 23, 2024 via the online application tool

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.

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